My Ten Terrifying Questions have been answered by over 250 published authors ranging from mega selling global stars like Jackie Collins and Lee Child to brilliant, relatively unknown debut authors such as Miles Franklin shortlisted Favel Parret and Rebecca James.

In each of these interviews I ask the following question:

Q. What advice do you give aspiring writers?

Now, for the edification of aspiring writers everywhere, I will pull together answers to this question from three very different writers and post them here once week. Some will inspire, some will confound but all will be interesting and helpful in their own way…

MADELINE MILLER

Winner of the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction with her debut novel The Song of Achilles

“Set your work aside.

For me the best way to find the false notes is to let the piece sit for a while, and come back to it with fresh eyes.

Keep at it, and try to find people whose opinions you trust to give you feedback.”

ANNA CAMPBELL

“Stick to your guns and write a complete manuscript. Personal experience indicates you’ll hear a siren voice whispering to you about 100 pages in, insisting that what you’re writing is terrible and you should try this new wonderful idea. That siren voice is actually your fear speaking. Don’t listen to it. Personal experience also indicates that 100 pages into that wonderful new idea, the siren voice will start whispering exactly the same poison. You’ll learn things from plugging through to the end of a manuscript that nothing else will teach you.

And once you’ve finished the manuscript, put it under the bed and write something else. Once you have, go back to the first manuscript and only then start editing. You’ll be surprised how many mistakes you can see once you’ve got a bit of distance. Not only that, you’ll have learnt skills writing the next book that you can use to improve the first book. Good luck!”

John Elder Robison

Ten Terrifying Questions

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1. To begin with why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?

I was born in Athens Georgia, while my parents attended the University of Georgia. I was raised on both coasts of the United States as my dad attended graduate school before settling as a Professor of Philosophy in Amherst, Massachusetts

I attended various schools before ending up in Amherst High School, from which I was ejected in the tenth grade. I remained a proud and defiant high school dropout until 2008, when the Monarch School of Houston, Texas, gave me an honorary diploma.

Beyond that, I pretty much schooled myself. I was lucky my father was a college professor, and I had the Continue reading →